India has lost a case at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the body on Thursday ruled that the Indian ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from the U.S. was “inconsistent” with the international norms.
India will have 12-18 months to implement this ruling, after which the U.S. can begin exports of these products to India. “The Appellate Body agreed with the panel’s finding that India’s AI (avian influenza) measures are inconsistent... because they are not based on a risk assessment,” the WTO said.
A WTO panel last year had ruled against India’s ban.
After hearing New Delhi’s appeal, the appellate body said it has “found that the Panel did not, as India contended, act inconsistently.”
The appellate body also upheld the panel’s findings that India’s AI measures are neither “based on”, nor “conform to,” the relevant international standard.
It also endorsed the panel’s finding that India’s AI measures violated global norms on the grounds that the prohibition was limited to just one country and not to all imports from any country with AI risk.
India filed an appeal in January 2015 with the Dispute Settlement Board of the WTO.
In its ruling on October 14, 2014, the WTO panel had said that India’s measures “arbitrarily and unjustifiably discriminate between Members where identical or similar conditions prevail and are applied in a manner which constitutes a disguised restriction on international trade.”
India is a big market for the U.S., which is one of the world’s largest exporters of chicken meat. India’s broiler meat consumption has been consistently increasing and is estimated to have touched 3.72 million tonnes in 2014, from 3.45 million tonnes in 2013.
Reacting to the ruling, Washington said the appellate body overwhelmingly agreed with the claim that India discriminates against U.S. products.
The WTO panel also said that New Delhi’s measures were more trade restrictive than necessary.
